The agricultural biotech start-up was co-founded in 2017 by Prof Liam Dolan of Dublin and Clément Champion.

Irish co-founded Oxford University spin-out Moa Technology has raised £22.2m in a Series C funding round.

The agricultural biotech start-up was co-founded in 2017 by Prof Liam Dolan of Dublin and Clément Champion. Its stated aims include sustainable protection of farmers’ harvests from “crop-killing weeds” through the discovery of “novel mode-of-action herbicides”, and working towards “food security for all”.

The funding round was co-led by Oxford Science Enterprises and Supernova Invest, with participation from returning investors OSE, Lansdowne Partners, Parkwalk and Oxford University Innovation.

New investors comprised Agri Investment Fund; GrainInnovate, a fund investing on behalf of the Grain Research Development Corporation and managed by Artesian; Infinity Investment Partners; and Magdalen College Oxford.

Moa researches and develops both synthetic and biological herbicide options with new modes of action to overcome growing weed resistance to standard and commonplace herbicide options, according to the UK-based company.

In 2025, it unveiled ‘Amplifier’ treatments designed to reduce amounts and concentrations of herbicides necessary for effective weed treatment. Moa said its ‘Galaxy’ platform has been used to screen more than 900,000 compounds and discover more than 80 “promising novel mode-of-action areas”.

Dr Virginia Corless, the CEO of Moa Technology, said the Series C funding “marks a major milestone for Moa Technology” and is a “validation of the outstanding progress we have made not just in the laboratory, but also in striking commercial deals with leading industry partners around the world”.

Moa has ongoing research and development partnerships with companies such as Nufarm, Gowan, Certis Belchim and Corteva Agriscience.

The new funding will be used to bring Moa’s three most advanced programmes significantly closer to commercialisation, to build its pipeline of early-stage novel mode-of-action herbicides and to further develop the Amplifiers programme, according to the company.

Alexandre Biau of Supernova Invest said: “Weed resistance continues to spread. It is causing increasing yield losses, further undermining the resilience of farming operations, while climate change is expected to make weed control even more challenging.

“In response, the Moa team is redefining the innovation playbook for weed control by advancing both novel modes of action and its Moa Amplifiers strategy, expanding the toolbox available to farmers.”

Martin Fiennes of Oxford Science Enterprises noted Moa’s “unique and important approach to address the market’s need for herbicides capable of breaking weed resistance” and said the company “is on track to provide the new solutions farmers need to sustain agricultural productivity”.

Dolan is the current chair of Moa’s scientific advisory board. He is a senior group leader at Vienna’s Gregor Mendel Institute and a fellow of the UK’s Royal Society. Moa raised a Series B funding round of £35m in 2022.

Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.